The present invention relates to a processing apparatus which performs a specified operation in accordance with operation control information, such as a processing program and data, stored in a memory as well as to an operation control information update system employing the processing apparatus.
The use of photographic processing machines in which film images, for instance, are automatically printed on photographic printing paper is widespread in recent years. In this kind of photographic processing machine, operational processes of individual processing segments, such as an exposure processor and a development processor, axe controlled based on a processing program and data (hereinafter referred to as operation control information) which are stored in a memory in carrying out exposure, development and other processing steps. The operation control information stored in the memory is updated when the processing program has been upgraded or when the need arises to do so for other reasons whatsoever. Conventionally when the need arises to update the operation control information, service personnel visit each of their customers carrying a floppy disk on which an upgrade version of the operation control information is written, load the disk in a floppy disk drive of the photographic processing machine, and update the previously stored operation control information overwriting it with the new operation control information read out from the disk One problem of this conventional method is that the customers can not use their photographic processing machines while the operation control information including the processing program and data is being updated. It has therefore been necessary for the service personnel to visit their customers during time periods specified by the individual customers, and this has considerably decreased labor efficiency in updating the operation control information. Another problem is that locations of the customers are usually distant from one another, making it necessary for the service personnel to spend much time in moving from one customer to another Accordingly the number of machines handled by the service personnel in a given period of time is limited. This also has contributed to deterioration of labor efficiency in updating the operation control information. Such problems would be encountered not only with the photographic processing machines but with other processing apparatus which perform a specified operation in accordance with operation control information stored in a memory.